Motor-vehicle.



No. 653,879 v r Patented luly I7, woo. L. J.- PHELPS.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

(Application m eavm 19, 19'06.

(No Model.)

Inventor:

me NORRIS PETERS n41. FHOTO-LITHQ. wasumomn. u, c.

UNITED STATES 1 ATENT CFFICE.

LUCIUS J. PHELPS, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

OTOR-VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,879, dated July 17,1900. Application filed May 19, 1900. Serial No. 17,304. (No model) Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUOIUS J PHELPS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Melrose Highlands,in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement inMotor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in safety appliances formotor-vehicles; and the object of my improvement is to prevent theaccidental starting or running away of the vehicle when the driver isnot in his seat. I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view of amotor-vehicle body, showing my safety device in its normal lockedcondition when the driver is not on his seat, Fig. 2 shows a front viewof the same parts, and Fig. 3 shows a side view of the device in theposition it assumes when the driver is on his seat.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the carriage seat.

B is a false bottom to the seat, which is normally held in a'slightlynaised position by the springs C O. p

F is the power-controlling lever, by means of which the driver applies,regulates, and shuts oi the power.

.1) is a shaft passing underneath the seat, to which the lever F isattached and which rocks to and fro as the lever F is moved in applying,regulating, and shutting off the power.

E is a drum secured to the shaft D, having a groove K in its bottomside.

H is a torsion-spring coiled about the shaft D, to which it is securedby one end, while the other end is secured to the boxing sup porting theshaft. In this position the spring is adjusted to normally throw off thepower.

G is a brake-shoe secured to the false seatbottom B and adapted to restupon the drum E when the false seat bottom is depressed. The shoe G alsocarries the hook J in a position to enter the groove K when the falseseatbottom is raised by the springs G O.

The action of the deviceis as follows: As viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, thedriver not being in his seat the springs G O raise the false bottom 13,forcing the hook J into the groove K in the drum E, securely locking theshaft D in the position which shuts oi the power, so that a careless,inexperienced, or mischievous person cannot apply the power and startthe vehicle by pulling or accidentally leaning against the lever F. Whenthe driver takes his seat, the false bottom B is depressed by hisweight, the hook J is drawn out of the groove K, and the shoe G restsupon the drum H, as shown in Fig. 3. The shoe-brake offers sufficientresistance to the movement of the shaft D to prevent its being moved bythe spring H; but by means of the lever F the driver rocks the shaft,controlling the power at will, and the lever F will remain in anydesired position without effort on the part of the driver so long as heremains on his seat; but should he be thrown from his seat by a shock oraccident the spring H would instantly throw off the power and thesprings O 0 would force the hook J into its groove K, thus locking theparts and preventing any further application of power to the vehicle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a motor-vehicle a spring attached to the power controlling leveradapted to throw off the power, and a brake operated by the weight ofthe driver to hold said lever at rest in any position when the driver ison his seat substantially as described. 2. In a motor-vehicle a springon the power-= controlling lever adapted to throw off the power, apositive look on said lever which normally looks it in the off position,adapted to be unlocked by the weight of the driver when he takes hisseat, and a friction-brake on said lever, set by the weight of thedriver sufficiently strong to hold the power-controlling lever at restin any position without effort on the part of the driver but yieldingreadily to pressure applied to the lever, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 9th day of May,

LUCIUS J. PHELPS. Witnesses:

IDA M. PHELPS, E. B. PHnLPs.

